Friends

Yesterday I drove up to Denver to visit Deirdre and Bridget. Deirdre and I had met before, but it was the first time I was able to meet Bridget. Deirdre is freshly moved into her new house in just about the greatest neighborhood in Denver. They are sneezing distance from city zoo, museum of natural history, and fantastic parks. You almost want to stab her with a fork, but she and Greg are just too darn likable and cool that you can't help but be happy for them. She opended her home up to me and Lily and Z, and Bridget came with her daughter/fairy Elia. Elia is darling. I don't think I can convey to you enough how special the adoption community is to me. They're family. International adoption is like running a marathon, every single day, for months--sometimes years. How can you not bond with the other families that are enduring the same thing? Not to mention we speak the same language: home study, social worker, dossier, referral, wait time, travel date, Homeland Security, fingerprints, application fees, court date, travel visa, post placement reports, and on and on. There is something comforting about speaking that language with others who know exactly what you are saying.

Deirdre made food and I ate. The kids played so well together. Zinabu and Sidamo actually spent the entire time on the floor playing checkers and chess. They were like two old men at a park. Hysterical! They were so serious, so involved, and so determined to outsmart the other with their strategy. Nora and Elia passed through and made sure they had our attention. And Lily... well, Lily spent all her time with Deirdre's dog, Saffron. It was hard to tear her away at the end of the morning.

You can find Deirdre's muffin recipe here. I ate a lot. I won't give you an actual number, but it was not pretty.

After we left and started our journey back home, here is what my kids said.

Lily: "I love the name Deirdre. It's so pretty. I am going to name my next dog Deirdre."

Zinabu: "Mom, you'd be proud of me. I didn't say anything I wasn't supposed to say. Even though I wanted to say it."

Such a good day.